A man in China spent 16,000 Yuan (£1,833) on a $ex doll to replace his wife after she died of cancer.

Zhang Wenliang, 70, from Chongzhou City, south west China’s Sichuan province, had been married for 40 years but had no children.

But in less than a year, the doll started to fall apart and now the pensioner is looking to sue the manufacturer.

Zhang, who is a retired doctor, told reporters: ‘I helped others overcome their diseases but with her illness I could not do anything.’ It’s capable of making sounds and can be temperature controlled.

He told reporters that the doll is now his wife.

Zhang said: ‘I do not want her outside. I want her to live with me at home. I want to see her every day. ‘The fake doll is her body.’

He has even put his deceased wife’s clothes on the doll.

Zhang told reporters: ‘Maybe for some people they are entertainment or to meet physiological needs but I see it as a real person who is a joy to me as I miss my wife.’

He says that when he purchased the doll, he cut off all social ties and did not invite friends into his house. Even when people did visit, he needed advance notice in order to hide the doll.

However, Zhang claims that the joints on the doll became distorted after just six months of use. There are also odd bumps appearing in the doll. The doll is also said to have uneven temperatures. Even the wires inside have started to show. Now, Zhang has decided to sue the manufacturers.